The plum blossoms look like their true faces, leaving me leaning against the railing pole. It’s snowy and sunny weather, my waist is loose and jade is thin, and the spring is freezing cold.
The regrets of rise and fall, a hill of loess, the green mountains of the ages. The old monk was drunk together, the broken monument stopped beating, and the sword was ashamed to look at.
——"Full Moon: Touring Tiger Hill in the Snow" by Zhang Kejiu (Yuan Dynasty)
…
Much anticipated, the first Lunar New Year Cup Polo Competition finally kicked off.
This tournament lasts for three days, and the final is held on the day of the Shangyuan Festival. There are sixteen participating teams, and the youngest participating grandson is the son of Li Xuan, the king of Liang - Prince Li of Luyang County.
On the opening day, the Royal Polo Ground - Daming Palace Liyuan Stadium has been repainted.
The stadium is rectangular in shape, with a circumference of about a thousand steps. The previous stadium was surrounded by walls on three sides, leaving only a row of high steps on the north side.
This time, in order to accommodate more spectators and allow more Chang'an people to enjoy the game, the Ministry of Industry, together with the Jingzhao Prefecture, worked day and night to demolish three walls and use earth and bricks to transform them into terraced stands. Of course,
The main grandstand is still in the north, with nobles, civil and military officials taking their seats one after another.
The widest view on the top of the North Platform is a row of long pavilions. The long pavilions are divided into boxes with golden curtains for the royal family members who watch the game.
The ground of the stadium was pounded and flattened inch by inch with loess, and was repeatedly cast with oil to make it as smooth as stone. In this way, when the horses run, dust will not be splashed to affect the line of sight.
At both ends of the court, there is a short gate with red carvings and colorful decorations. The short gate is tied with a rope net, which is very eye-catching.
Everything is so familiar.
…
The auspicious time has come, and Prime Minister Li Linfu walked to the stage with a bright smile. He softly whispered and read out the jade ultimatum loudly: "There is a certain minister who is the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and dares to declare to the Haotian God. Tianqi Li,
To bring prosperity to the land...God has blessed me and bestowed loyalty and military prowess on my ministers. When I was in trouble, I respected the Holy Father. I respectfully accepted the great treasure. I respected it as if it was God's will, and the world was full of joy. On the festival day of the Yuan Dynasty, thanks to heaven, my descendants will be blessed by all the people.
blessing."
Later, Xuanzong personally presided over the first offering, Prince Li Heng presided over the second offering, and Prince Qing Li Cong presided over the final offering.
After the gifts were presented, Xuanzong personally lit the "Liao Altar" filled with firewood. When the huge flames rose into the sky, the royal family, civil and military officials shouted long live, and the people of Chang'an responded in unison.
.
Li Longji stood on a high platform with his hands behind his hands, overlooking the majestic and majestic Chang'an City covered in silver. He looked back on the glorious past with great pride.
"These are my people, this is my Tang Dynasty, the center of the world, and its eternal glory! My achievements are destined to shine through the ages and be famous in history!"
…
When Kucha music played, players from both sides filed into the stadium.
The first match is between Prince Rong Li Wan's eldest son Li Fu, Prince of Jiyin County, and King Ying Li Xuan's eldest son Li Shen, Prince of Xingyang County.
Today, Li Fu's team wears red uniforms and black gauze turbans. Li Shen's team wears black brocade uniforms and beard hats. They have narrow lapels on both sides, bodysuits, brocade belts, and shiny riding boots. They are neat and tidy.
Full of energy.
As soon as the drum sounds, the game officially begins.
Players from both sides fought bravely to take the lead, and Li Zun, the Duke of Kui, hit the first shot! The stick scooped up a piece of loess, and both sides rode their horses to chase the ball.
The Li Fu team entered the state very quickly, both in terms of the smoothness of coordination and the speed of transition between offense and defense. However, it was the Li Shen team that scored the first goal.
Duke Li Min of the state of Chu took the ball from the right and ran twenty steps forward. When he saw Li Fu, the king of Jiyin County, stepping forward to press for him, he quickly passed the ball to Li Shen, the king of Xingyang County.
Li Shen used his ju stick to protect the ball, rushed to the left, and transferred his right attack to the left. Seeing Li Qi, the king of Peiping County, riding his horse to block the ball, Li Shen waved his ju stick and tipped the ball to Gao
Li Hao, the king of the city, patted his horse and ran towards the opponent's door.
Li Hao, the king of Gaoyi, galloped on his horse towards the bottom line. He glanced and found that Li Shen had already reached the goal. He made a precise cross pass and sent the ball to the goal.
Li Shen was overjoyed and swung the stick. The ball drew an arc and flew towards the net. Just as he was about to go into the bag, Wei Weiqing and Li Xu came to the rescue and blocked Li Shen's shot. The ball slipped.
Pass by the door.
Just when everyone was feeling sorry for Li Shen's missed opportunity, Dugu Tingqiu, the number one master of You Xiaowei, rushed in and hit the target with a supplementary shot.
Li Shen's team took the lead and took the lead with the first shot.
"Prince Xingyang scores!" the crowd on the court exclaimed and cheered.
King Ying Li Xuan jumped up from his seat excitedly, waved his fists in the air, and roared at his sons!
Later, Li Xu, the king of Gaoyi, passed the ball directly between Li Qian, the king of Chenliu County, and Li Wei, the Wei Weiqing, and Li Shen drove his horse and scored with a single shot. Li Shen's team scored another goal.
Li Fu's team lost two goals in a row and quickly asked for substitutions. They replaced Li Qian, the king of Chenliu County, and Li Wei, Wei Weiqing, and replaced them with the children of the Xue family in Hedong.
At the critical moment, the advantage of Hedong Xue's star-studded generals became apparent. Xue Guanshan and Xue Wanli were descendants of the famous general Xue Rengui. They were sharp and brave, and stepped up to organize a counterattack as soon as they came on the field.
Although the Li Fu team's cooperation was not as good as that of their opponents, and they were almost humiliated by their opponents on the court, they were still able to bite the bullet and fight back in a more practical way. The subsequent goal demonstrated the Li Fu team's ability to seize opportunities, even if they were at a disadvantage.
You can also find hope.
After a stick of incense, Li Fu's team used a smooth cooperation to equalize the score. Xue Guanshan's midfielder quickly passed a long pass to Xue Wanli. Xue Wanli got the ball and passed the ball. Li Fu outflanked the ball in the middle and scored
.
After scoring the goal, Team Li Fu completely released himself and gained the initiative on the field.
Xue Guanshan and Xue Wanli form a double midfielder, like two double gates, which can not only block the opponent's attack, but also form a passing net with the forward Li Fu, creating a pleasing small-scale cooperation.
Li Fu is the core of the short pass net and the only king on the court. Even the right guard Dugu Tingqiu's iron lock Hengjiang's defense was easily overcome by him.
Before the end of the first half, Li Fu received the transfer ball from Xue Wanli on the right, passed through flowers and trees, and passed the Duke of Chu Li Min with a magical fake move. Unfortunately, the final blow was missed by Dugu Tingqiu.
Use the stick to intercept.
The biggest problem of Li Shen's team in the first half was that they completely overwhelmed Li Fu's team technically and tactically, but there were still shortcomings in the final attack. This was not because Li Shen's team was greedy for performance in front of Xuanzong, but because Xue Guanshan and Xue Wanli were
A polo player known for his defense, one man can't get through.
After the start of the second half, the situation did not change. Li Shen's team still had the advantage. This was also the time when they were closest to winning the game. In the first wave of attacks, Chu Guogong Li Min's shot missed slightly; then, Dugu Pihu again
In the pass from the left, Gaoyi King Li Hao failed to outflank him; in the third attack, Dugu Tingqiu made a very comfortable pass from the right, but Li Shen made the final blow and hit the ball on the side netting.
Xue Guanshan and Xue Wanli are worthy of being fierce generals in the army. Soldiers who have been on the battlefield pay most attention to the depth of attack and the rapid transition between offense and defense. The opponent's three waves of attacks failed, and their morale declined again, and they were exhausted. Xue Guanshan and Xue Wanli immediately launched a counterattack.
Defeat five cities in a row.
…
The Li Fu team finally eliminated the Li Shen team with a score of 15 to 13.
The King of Rong, Li Wan, is known for his elegance and elegant style. At this moment, seeing his sons so outstanding and outstanding, he couldn't help but lose his composure, burst into tears, stumbled down the viewing platform, and hugged the children tightly...
…
The second game pitted Pengcheng King Li Zhuo, the son of Yan Wang Li Bin, against Sheng Wang Li Qi's son, Zhending Wang Li Shu.
…
The eight games on the opening day were fierce and exciting, and the people of Chang'an were very excited.
What's more, when Prince Li Su of Yongjia County, son of King Ji Li Huan and Li Bin, faced off against Prince Li Tong of Xin'an County, son of King Xin Li Wei, the competition between the two sides was too fierce, their actions were too large, and violations of their opponents frequently occurred. The emperor's grandson They had strong personalities, disagreed, and got into fights. The court commander had to stop the game and dispatched the Jinwu Guards to mediate between the two sides.
Xuanzong was furious and punished King Ji Li Huan and King Xin Li Wei on the spot. Only then did the following emperors and grandsons have to control their hot tempers and focus on their technical and tactical performance.
…
At the end of the day, Xuanzong had a panoramic view of all living beings including the prince, emperor, and grandsons.
He slapped the dragon-headed cane and said to Gao Lishi: "In the battle for the crown prince, the princes seem to be indifferent. They either close the door to thank guests and plant vegetables in the back garden; they recite poems and paintings, compile anthologies; or they maintain health and refine elixirs, and seek immortality and Taoism. It seems that they all have no interest in power and have no boredom in reclusive life, but judging from the greediness of the emperors and grandchildren fighting for each other, no one of their fathers is idle!
What’s even more frightening is that the powerful family behind the emperor’s grandson, the Guanlong nobles, are ready to make a move and are impatient!”
A cold light flashed in Xuanzong's eyes, and murderous intent suddenly appeared.
Even though Gao Lishi had been by his side for a long time, he couldn't help but feel frightened.